Farmers and ranchers are natural researchers, regularly using trial-and-error to address on-farm questions and challenges. Research shows that farmers greatly benefit when they lead on-farm research trials.
Programs like the OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education’s Farmer-Rancher Grant put farmers in the driver’s seat, allowing them to conceive and carry out research on their farms.
For research involving farmers and University scientists, successful collaborations between farmers and researchers can greatly enhance results. However, these collaborations take time to build. Read our report on for lessons learned from organic farmers and researchers about how to form these effective collaborations.
